Promises Kept
by Jessica237
Summary: [EC] Sequel to 'Something to Come Home To.' Post Rio.


**Author's Note: **Sequel to "Something to Come Home To." Obviously I've taken some liberties with the 'Rio' episode, because, seriously, how in the _hell_ could all that possibly take place in one day? So I stretched it out some to make this work. Also? I made them come back to Miami at night. Because I like that better. Heh. Usual disclaimers apply; I own nothing.

* * *

If there was one thing Eric resolved never to do, it was break a promise, especially to someone he cared about so deeply. 

He'd die before he broke a promise to her, especially this one.

She'd been on his mind for the entire flight down, for the entire time in Brazil, and the entire flight back. Now that he was back in Miami, he couldn't get to her door fast enough. It was late; he knew that, but he had to go to her, even if only to hold her while she slept. It'd been too long; he needed her.

Under the cover of darkness, he found her spare key and quietly let himself inside, closing his eyes along with the door behind him. Eric breathed in deeply, already feeling a sense of calm overtake him as he breathed in her scent. It was almost overpowering.

Easily he made his way through the dark to her bedroom, almost as though he knew every step by heart; by soul. There was no need for light; Eric was certain that he'd always be able to find his way to Calleigh, light or no light. Silently he pushed her door open, pausing in the doorway as his breath caught in his throat.

For a moment he simply stood, watching her sleep as the moonlight filtered in through the window, making her look even more beautiful; peaceful in sleep. He almost hated to wake her. Almost.

He crossed the room to the bed, quickly slipping his shoes and his jeans off, leaving him in his shirt and his boxers. Quietly he slid under the covers, slipping an arm around Calleigh and burying his face in her hair, breathing her in, intoxicated by the scent of her shampoo mixed with the scent that was just uniquely Calleigh. Until now, he hadn't realized just how much he missed her. It'd been too long, and now that he was back, he never wanted to leave her again.

He was home.

Gently he brushed her hair back, exposing her neck to him. Eric propped himself up slightly, leaning over her and leaving a trail of kisses along her skin, while one of his hands rested lightly on her hip. Calleigh sighed, almost a tiny moan. She shifted slightly in her sleep, exposing more of her creamy skin to Eric's lips. He trailed kisses along her collarbone, along her neck and jawline, ending with a kiss at the spot behind her ear, somehow already knowing that was one of her spots that always made her shiver.

Calleigh gave a deep sigh, her eyes opening slowly as Eric's kisses on her skin roused her from sleep. Lazily she rolled onto her back, a tiny smile playing at her lips. "Hey," she whispered, reaching out and trailing a finger across his cheek, assuring herself he was real and not a dream.

Eric caught her hand and brought it to his lips, pressing a kiss to the center of her palm. "Hey." His eyes were drawn to her lips; the urge to kiss her was unbearable, but he resisted it for the moment. Instead, he let her hand drop, and he slowly trailed his fingertips over her other forearm, feeling the goosebumps his touch provoked. Avoiding her lips for the moment, he leaned down and kissed her temple. "I missed you," he murmured at her ear.

Calleigh's eyes closed, and she brought her hand to the back of his neck, scratching gently at his skin. "I missed you too," she replied, squirming lightly. It'd been too long; his breath on her skin and the heat from his body were almost too much for her. She whimpered; it wasn't enough to have his face so close to hers and their lips still be apart. She wanted his lips against hers in an almost tantalizingly slow kiss. "How was Brazil?" she breathed.

"Lonely," he whispered huskily right by her ear, sending shivers down her spine. He kissed his way along her jawline, smirking slightly when she tried to guide him to her lips. He pulled away, silently hovering above her as he brushed her hair back. He smiled down at her, fully amazed by the emotion conveyed through the silence.

"You're home," she stated quietly after a moment, her bright green eyes searching his.

Eric gazed into her eyes, bringing his hand up and gently cupping her face, caressing her cheek with his thumb. "I'm home," he whispered, and unable to resist it any longer, he ducked his head, bringing his lips to hers. He felt Calleigh's hands come to either side of his face, and he nibbled gently at her lower lip, begging entrance. She opened her mouth to him, a tiny moan sounding from the back of her throat. Moving his hands down her body, Eric tugged at the hem of her tank top, sliding it up and pulling it over her head as she lifted up for him. He brought his lips back to her neck, slowly kissing a trail to her collarbone.

It'd only been one time, but already Eric was hooked. He needed her; craved her. During those long, lonely nights in Brazil, his mind would wander, filled with thoughts of her. Her touch, her kisses; just her. He'd lay awake for hours; restless, needing to hold her, needing to be with her.

Then morning would come, bringing with it the unbearable humidity and the pain of knowing it would be another day away from her. Knowing that she was hundreds of miles away; knowing that it could be days before he made it home to her. Before he could say he'd kept his promise.

Calleigh slid her hands beneath his shirt, sliding it upward as she moved. She broke the kiss long enough just to pull it over his head, throwing it carelessly to the side as she kissed him again, deeply; desperately.

The days without him had been just as hard on her. Not knowing if he was really okay, not knowing when he was coming home. She lived for the few necessary phone calls; it was a chance to hear his voice, even if it was just to relay information regarding the case. She still got to hear his voice, and that made her feel better.

And then, his signal had disappeared. That had scared her more than she'd ever admit.

Still, she forced herself to be calm. She forced herself to hold on to the promise he made to her so many days before. She trusted him not to break that promise. That trust was the one thing that kept her from losing it when his signal disappeared.

But though she managed to hold it together, Calleigh couldn't stop her voice from wavering slightly when she called Horatio.

_"Is Delko with you?" she asked urgently, not even caring about the tremble in her voice. It was the first time she hadn't mentally cursed herself for showing that kind of weakness. That was just how deep her concern for Eric currently was. Her heart was pounding; her mind was racing with thoughts of what might've happened, each idea worse than the one before. She shuddered. "I've been tracking you two, and I lost his signal."_

_"I know where he is," Horatio said quickly, closing his phone, not hearing any of Calleigh's worried questions._

It had been the last time she'd heard from either of them.

Now, the relief she felt from seeing his face and hearing his voice was indescribable. He was back where he was supposed to be, and Calleigh could breathe again.

Eric tensed suddenly, drawing in a sharp breath as Calleigh's hands skimmed over a particularly sore part of his torso. She stopped, looking up at him wide-eyed. "Eric?"

He winced. "It's nothing," he muttered.

Calleigh brought a hand to his cheek, looking deep into his dark eyes. "What happened?" she asked softly, the fingers of her other hand softly caressing the cut.

"Knife fight." He gave her a goofy grin. "But H and I won, though," he added with a wink.

Calleigh gasped softly, not seeing how he could joke about that. "Are you okay?"

Eric sighed, pushing back a lock of her hair. "I am now," he breathed, lowering his lips again to hers. Slowly, the last remaining layers between them were removed as their bodies sought the union that, although they'd only been there once, neither could deny that they craved it; needed it.

Making love to her was so much deeper than a physical connection. He knew that to leave her now would shatter him completely; that was how much she truly meant to him. Though it'd only been days since he'd been with her last, it felt much more like forever. Now that he knew what it was like, even just a few days without her was far too long.

Once again he relished in simply holding her as their heartbeats returned to normal; as they caught their breath. Pulling her closer to him, he pressed a kiss into her hair, softly trailing his fingertips down her spine. "Why did I go?" he asked, almost inaudibly. "Why did I leave this?"

Calleigh shifted in his arms, staring deep into his eyes. "What?"

Eric bit his lip. "I should've let it go."

"Eric, he killed your sister," Calleigh said softly. "You couldn't just let him get away with that."

"It didn't matter. He'd left the country. I should've just let it go," Eric said, closing his eyes. "It didn't make a difference." He clenched his fists a couple of times. "He killed Marisol. Horatio and I killed him." He shuddered. "I'm just the same as Riaz."

"Eric…" She laid a hand over his, squeezing gently. "That's not true and you know it."

"I went after him for revenge, Calleigh. I should've realized before that it wouldn't bring Marisol back. That killing Riaz wouldn't do anything except make me feel better for a fraction of a second." He sighed, shaking his head. "But it didn't mean anything. Another Riaz will just come up from the crowd, nothing will bring Marisol back, and all in all, the few days in Brazil were quite possibly some of the worst in my life."

Calleigh stared. "Why?"

"Because I was without you. Because what I really needed was right here in Miami the whole time," he said quietly, giving her a long look. "You don't know how awful it felt to count down the days before I came home to you, yet never knowing exactly when I'd get to come home."

"I think I do know," she said softly. "These were some of the longest days of my life; not knowing whether or not you'd be home today, or tomorrow, or the next day…" she trailed off with a sigh, a tiny smile playing on her lips. "But you're here now." She smiled sympathetically; his eyes betrayed that he was still troubled. "Is there anything I can do?" she asked, looking at him with those deep green eyes. God, he'd missed those eyes. Suddenly, she was reaching out to him, touching his face, and he sighed, placing his hand over hers.

"You're already doing everything and more," he murmured, leaning closer and placing feather-light kisses upon her lips.

"How?" she asked against his lips.

"By just being here now," he said honestly, lacing his fingers with hers. "Promise me you'll stay here, Calleigh." There was no need for him to define what he meant by 'here.' Calleigh knew exactly what he meant, just by looking into his eyes as he spoke.

She nodded, softly kissing him on the lips. "I'm not going anywhere."

He'd kept his promise to her, and now it was her turn. It was a promise she never intended to break. Never.


End file.
